Just not the same
by TheSilentWriter001
Summary: Ash Ketchum lost the Pokemon league, badly. After that he lost faith, he went into hiding for a long time, ashamed to come home or talk to anyone, he lives in a small town named HavenVeil. But what happens when one of Ash's rivals finds themselves in haven veil and forces ash to come home? How will Ash handle his old friends and rivals?
1. Sneak peek, what do you think?

After years of not returning calls, or leaving random messages, Ash Ketchum returns home to pallet town after his horrible defeat in the Pokemon league. Ash is grown up and lost faith in Pokemon battling. Is he ready to face his old friends and tell them the truth? How are they going to react?...

(Sneak peak)

The stadium lights shine on the battle field. The crowd is practically screeching. Ash looks out and holds the round poke-ball in his hands. His hands are shaking, his breath is heavy like a boulder is crushing his lungs. He clutches the poke-ball in his hands, gripping onto it as if it will teleport him out of there. The light shimmers it's red surface. He turns his head, the vision above him is blocked by his red cap. His best friend Pikachu sits there, looking at him with reassuring hope. Ash moves, he throws the poke-ball high up and it opens, releasing the Pokemon with a shining light. He is going to battle, after many years...

(I hope you guys liked it! I will not update until I get at least ten comments from people who want me to continue so please get those comments in or I won't continue!)


	2. The real chapter one!

**Chapter one:**

The smell of freshly baked bread and fresh fruit traveled through the streets of a small town. People were talking amongst themselves while children ran through the streets playing with the local pokemon. One person in particular was heading to a nearby diner. He wore a black t shirt covered with a red and white jacket, his jeans were light blue and worn out and his black messy hair was cover by a red and white cap. The man walked down the sidewalk until he approached the cafe, he opened the door and walked to his usual spot by the window.

Right away the waiter placed his order in front of him as if he's been there millions of times before. The man sipped his coffee and bit into some of his eggs. The bell at the front door rang and the man could hear one of the waitress's.

"Hey there pikachu! Here ya go, one bowl of poke food coming right up! Wanna go cheer up man over there?" The man and the table couldn't help but smirk, knowing he was titled ' man' small little foot steps were heard coming towards the table then a yellow mouse pokemon jumped up in front of the man. The pokemon had red circles on its cheek and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. It's beady black eyes shined happily at its trainer and it had brown stripe running across it's back. Pikachu sat next to his trainer and the man petted pikachu's  
head.

The waitress from before walked up and placed some poke food in front of pikachu who happily ate it. She looked at the man and smiled.

"Mornin Ash. Mikey was wonderin if you could help him catch a pokemon if you had any free time." She asked ash. Pikachu stopped eating and looked at ash with hopeful eyes. Has sighed and smiled.

"Of course Bailey." He said nicely. Bailey, the waitress smiled and nodded as a thank you before walking off to serve the other customers. Ash took another sip of his coffee and ash looked at him happily and a bit smug. Ash noticed the smugness more than the happiness and playfully pushed pikachu and mummbled."Whatever..." Pikachu held in a laugh.

After ash left the store he headed straight to the basketball court, he knew Mikey would be there waiting for him like always. Everyday ash would go to the diner in the morning and walk past the basketball court where Mikey would follow him and talk. Ash made it there and the sound of children playing covered the silence. There, sitting on the bench was Mikey. He had brown shaggy hair, tan skin and freckles covering the bridge of his nose. He turned his head and smiled brightly at ash, who returned the smiled. Mikey ran up to him and pikachu who was sitting on Ash's shoulders.

"Hey kiddo, ready to catch your first pokemon?" Ash asked Mikey, who nearly jumped out of his shoes.

"Yes!" Mikey said smiling. Ash nodded and instead of walking home him and Mikey went to the woods. The smell of pine and fresh leaves filled the air and the soft wind rustled the trees. The only sound there was the sound of ash and Mikey's footsteps. Mikey looked around then at ash. "Ash?...where are the pokemon?" He asked in a hushed tone. Ash smiled at him.

"They're everywhere...you just can't see them..." Mikey nodded then turned his head only to gasp in excitment.

"Look!" He whispered/yelled. There standing in the grass was a small houndour. The pokemon looked like a dog with an orange snout and belly, the rest of its body was black and it had a white skull shaped forhead and white stripes on it's back, around the pokemon's ankles were white straps. Mikey smiled happily and ash smiled as well. Ash handed him a round pokeball, the top of the pokeball was red and the bottom of it was white, in the center of it was a white circle. Mikey took it and pikachu climbed down from Ash's shoulder.

"Go easy on it Pikachu, houndour may look strong but there defence is low." Ash warned pikachu, not wanting the houndour to faint. The houndour saw pikachu and stepped up to battle. Mikey hesitated.

"Uh...pikachu...uh...use iron tail!" Mikey said. Pikachu listened, the mouse pokemon jumped up and it's tail shined silver. The pokemon smashed down, it's tail colliding with the houndour's head.

"Throw the pokeball Mikey." Ash said. Mikey did what was told and threw the pokeball. The pokeball threw into the air and hit houndour smack dab in the forhead, causing the dog like pokemon to get sucked into the round device. The pokeball landed in the green soft grass and the white circle blinked red. Mikey looked at the pokeball with desperation and determination. The pokeball stopped blinking and finally locked. Mikey smiled and cheered! He jumped up and down and ran to the pokeball, grabbing it he smiled. Ash watched as Mikey released the pokemon inside and play with pikachu and his new houndour.

Mikey and ash walked back home, the whole way there Mikey kept looking at the pokeball in his hands gleefully. Soon both of them departed from eachother and ash went to his apartment. Once he unlocked the door he walked in and put his cap on the couch before sitting down. Ash looked over to the nightstand next to the couch and saw an old picture. The picture was of him and May from when he was in Hoenn. Next to that was a picture of him and Dawn during one of her contest, then one of him and Iris, another with him and Misty followed by him and Brock, him and Cilan. The pictures were all piled up.

Ash reached out and grabbed an old picture. The corners were beat up and it had been folded and bent. It was him and his dad, though. His dad's face was cut out...he doesn't know who did i t or why...he just found it like that.

He grazed his thumb over the picture, shifting away the dirt. A tear poured out of his eye, it traveled to his chin, leaving a cold trail. Ash quickley wiped it away. His thoughts were inturrupted by a familiar voice.

"Pika? Pikachu?" Ash looked over at pikachu and smiled sadly at him.

"I'm okay..." He said, lying through his teeth. He walked over to his room and layed down on his bed. "I'm okay..." He repeated silently to himself.


End file.
